Saturday night, the cows caused a wreck on N.C. 18, and they caused a three-car wreck on Monday, Hoyle said.

“We are lucky no one has gotten killed,” Hoyle said. “But that’s our worry. We need a fast solution.”

Every night after it gets dark, the cows leave their pasture and eat the rye, and each day at daybreak they return to their pasture, she said.

“They stomp all over our rye fields,” one person who lives in the area told The Star. “One night we counted as high as 25 cows.”

Man charged

Two of the cows were killed in the car wrecks on Saturday and Monday, said Sam Lockridge, health services coordinator for the Cleveland County Health Department. He said the NC Highway Patrol spray-painted lines on the highway where the dead animals were killed.

The alleged cow owner, Jimmy White, lives in Casar and turned himself in on Tuesday, Lockridge said. He was charged with seven counts of allowing his livestock to run at large. White made his $5,000 bond and was released, Lockridge said.

Animal Control is working with White to round up the rest of the cows, Lockridge said.

“We do know that 10 or 12 of his cows made it across Highway 18 into another pasture and they are secured,” Lockridge said. “According to men who work for White, there are still eight cows out.”

Rounding up cows

However, White told Animal Control he does not own any cow that is out or the two that caused wrecks, Lockridge said.

Animal Control gave White and his workers until Thursday to round up the remainder of the cows. After that, Animal Control will contract a company from Concord to bring horses, dogs and ropes to round up the rest, Lockridge said.

The cows will then become county property and will be sold for revenue, he said.

“It’s generally not Animal Control’s responsibility to chase cows,” Lockridge said. “However, when the wrecks started happening we felt we needed to assist to resolve this before someone gets killed.”